School Admission Appeals

School admission appeals in South West

The 14 councils in South West heard 1,903 school admission appeals in 2026 and upheld 445. Within the region the spread is wide: 44.7% of appeals were upheld in Bath and North East Somerset against 12.2% in Somerset.

25.3%

of appeals heard in South West were upheld

1,684 of 6,655 appeals heard in 2024–2026

Councils in South West

Appeals heard and upheld by council, pooled across 2024–2026, largest first. England overall: 19.4%.
Council Heard Upheld Rate
Gloucestershire 2,031 580 28.6%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 767 182 23.7%
Somerset 633 77 12.2%
Bristol, City of 627 172 27.4%
South Gloucestershire 364 83 22.8%
Dorset 351 124 35.3%
Cornwall 341 131 38.4%
Wiltshire 307 84 27.4%
Devon 278 69 24.8%
Swindon 245 40 16.3%
Plymouth 244 39 16%
Torbay 235 42 17.9%
North Somerset 147 23 15.6%
Bath and North East Somerset 85 38 44.7%

Reading these numbers fairly

A council's rate reflects its schools, its panels and which cases get lodged there — not how strong your case is. It is useful context, not a forecast. Nobody publishes appeal outcomes for individual schools.